Coin-controlled mechanism



' G. WEISS COIN CONTROLLED MECHANISM June 24, 1930.

2 Shgets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 6, 192a Patented June 24, 1930 warren STATES GEORGE WEISS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS COIN-CONTROLLED IvIECI-IANISM Application filed February 6, 1928. Serial N0. 252,060.

This invention relates to improvements in coin controlled mechanism'for vending machines and the like and is particularly adapted, though not necessarily limited in its use, in connection with the vending machine shown in my co-pending applicatioinserial N umber 252,059, filed February 6, 1929, and one of the objects of'the invention is to provide a simple and durable coin controlled mechanism which can be rendered operable only by the insertion of a'coin or check of a predetermined character and denomination; a further object being to provide improved mechanism of this character which cannot be readily manipulated by means of the insertion of a wire or other implement so as to render the machine operable without the insertion of a proper coin. I

A further object is to provide improved mechanism of this character which will be inexpensive to manufacture and which may be constructed mainly of stamped metal parts. z 1

To the attainmentof these ends and the accomplishment of other new and useful objects as will appear, the invention consists in the features of novelty in substantially the construction, combination .and arrangement of the several parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed and shown in the ac companying drawings illustrating this in vention and in which- Figure 1 is a detail sectional View taken on line 11,Figure 7 of acoin controlled mechanism of this character constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention. c

Figure 2 is a View similar to Figure 1 with the parts in a difiere'nt position and with parts omitted.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the members of the coin controlled mechanism, as taken from the rear of the member.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the other member. p Figure 5 is a perspective View of'one of the locking members.

I Figure 6 is a'perspective View of the other locking member.

Figure'T 1s atop plan-view of the mechanism, partly in section and with parts omitted,

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on line 88,Figure 7. I

Figure 9 is a view taken on ure 8, with parts omitted.

'Figure 10 is a detail sectional View taken on line 1010, Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a View of a modified form the invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings the numeral 15 designates a disc like member constructed preferably of sheet metal, havingform'ed thereon projections 16 line 99, Fig- -'extending from one face thereof and spaced from the'periphe'ry of the member. These projections may be formed in any suitable manner, either by stamping a portion of the member 15 therefrom or by securing the members 16 to the member 15. I

The projections or portions 16 are spaced from each other to form openings 17 between the proximate ends of adjacent membersand these openings constitute a check seat,por-

tions of theadjacent endsof the projections 16 being preferably curved or shaped as at 18 to conform to the contour of the coin, the width of the space 17 being less. than the greatestdiameter of the coin.

7 Any number of these projections 16'with the intermediate coin seats 17 may be employed, but in the present exemplification of the invention four areshown.

The member 15 thus formed is secured to a shaft 19 for rotation therewith and the shaft 19 is mounted for rotation in suitg able bearings 2021. Mounted loosely upon the shaft 19 is another disc or member 22, preferably in the form'of a segment which is 'the largest diameter of the coin 28 so as to permit the coin to readily fall into and out of the opening 26.

A coil spring 29 encompasses the hub 23 of the member 22 and one end of the spring is secured as at 30 to the member 22 and the other end of the spring is anchored to a fixed support 31. The normal tendency of the spring 29 is to restore the member 22 to is original or normal position and at the same time return the operating handle to its original position, by moving it in a direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 8.

When the handle 24 is actuated by the operator, energy will be stored in the spring 29 so as to return the member 22when the handle is released.

Connected with the member 15 for rotation therewith is a cam member 32 which is shaped to form a plurality of cams 33 having intermediate depressions or spaces 34 therebetween. I

Projecting laterally from the cam member 32 are pins 35, preferably four in number, although any number may be employed, and these pins 35 are adapted to enter slots 36 in a co-operating member 37. The slots 36 open through the member 37 and the pins 35 and slots 36 are so arranged that when the member 15 is at rest in either position to receive a check or to discharge the check, two of the pins 35 will enter two of the slots 36 and thereby lock the member 15 against unauthorized actuation.

Connected with the member 37 for rotation herewith is a gear 38 which meshes with a gear 39 and the gear 39 is secured to a shaft 40 for rotation therewith, the shaft 40 being journaled in a suitable bearing 41.

A similar shaft 42 journaled in a bearing 43 and parallel with the shaft 42 may be provided and these two shafts 40 and 42 are operated by means of an actuating or driving shaft 44 mounted in suitable bearings 45, and has operative connections with the shafts 40 and 42 respectively, by means of beveled gears 4647 on the shaft 44 meshing with gears 4849 on the shafts 40 and 42, so that when the member 15 is actuated by the insertion of a proper coin the driving shaft 44 will be actuated and this motion will be imparted to the shafts 40 and 42.

Secured also to the shaft 19 for rotation therewith is a ratchet wheel 50 and the latter isprovided with spaces 51' about its periphery intermediate certain of the ratchet teeth.

A pawl 52 loosely mounted upon a shaft 53 co-operates with the teeth of the ratchet Wheel 50 and is adapted to enter the spaces 51 at predetermined times in the cycle of operation of the device so as to insure the proper positioning of the parts so, that the check seats 17 will be properly positioned to receive the check or coin.

Loosely mounted upon the same shaft 53 and supported intermediate its ends is a lever 54, a roller 55 being mounted upon one end of the lever, and this roller 55 is adapted to enter the seats 34 between the cams 33 on the member 32 to arrest the movement of the member 15 and hold it in proper position, the cams 33 when the member 15 is being operated, operating upon the roller 55 to rock the lever 54.

To the other end of the lever 54 is secured a spring 56 which in turn is anchored to a fixed support, the spring 56 tending normally to move the lever 54 in a direction to hold the roller 55 against the periphery of the cam member 32.

A spring 57 which controls the pawl 52 is preferably arrangedabout the shaft 53, one end 58 of the spring engaging over the pawl 52 and the other end 59 of the spring engaging over the end 60 of the lever 54.

With this improved construction and assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Figures 1 and 8 of the drawings, the member 15 will be held in a position that one of the seats 17 will be in alinement with the end of a coin or check chute 61 and the member 22 will be in a position that the opening 26 between the flanges 25 will be in alinement or register with the check seat 17 so that a check delivered through the checkchute 61- will enter the check seat, as shown in Figure 1. v 7

When a check is thus seated the members 22 and 15 will then be locked for rotation so that when the handle'24 is moved in. the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 8, both of the members 22 and 15 will be rotated until the handle reaches the position shown in dotted lines in Figure .8. After the handle 24 has started to move in this direction, the pawl 52 will ratchet over the teeth of the ratchet wheel 50 so as to hold the handle against retrograde movement, the pawl entering one of the spaces 51 in the ratchet wheel just at the time that the han dle 24 reaches the limit of its movement.

This provision of the spaces 51 will insure the accurate and proper positioning of the check pocket or seat with respect to the check chute and provides a small degree of lost motion between the pawl and ratchet disc for that purpose.

At the same time the members 15 and 22 will move to the position shown in Figure 2, or in a position that the check seat will be inverted to allow the check to drop out of the seat as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2. The space 26 in the member 22 being slightly greater than the check, will permit the check to drop from the seat freely. The end 62 of a guide 63 forming a part of the check chute is rounded so as not to interfere with the delivery of the check from the check seat.

When the members and 22 are thus actuated, the cam member 32 will be rotated and the pins 35 on the cam member engaging in the. slots 36 in the co-operating mem ber 37 will rotate the latter. At the same time one of the cams 33 will engage the roller to rock the lever 54 against the stress of the spring 56 to permit the cam member 32 to move. As the member 37 is rotated the gear 38 will be rotated to actuate the gear 39 and thereby impart motion to the driving shaft 44 to rotate the shafts 40 and 42.

When the parts are in the position shown in Figure 8, or when the handle 24 is returned to its normal or initial position, it will be manifest that two of the pins 35 on the cam member 32 will simultaneously engage in two of the slots 36 in the member 37 and these pins and slots are so arranged with respect to each other that they will lock the member 15 against unauthorized actuation, thereby rendering it impossible to actuate the member 15 only through the medium of the handle 24 and after a proper check or coin has been deposited in the check seat.

The handle 24 and the member 22 are free at all times, when a proper check has not been inserted, to be oscillated back and forth about the shaft 19.

In the form of the invention shown in Figure 11, the member 64, corresponding with the member 37, is provided with slots with which the projections 35 on the member 33 co-operate, and the parts are yieldingly locked against operation by means of a roller 66 on one end of a lever 67 that is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends as at 68. To

the other end of the lever 67 is connected a spring 69 which tends normally to hold the roller 66 against the periphery of the element 64, and the periphery of this latter element is shaped so as to form cam surfaces 70 to engage and move the roller 66 and thereby rock the lever 67. The roller 66 co-operates with the slots by entering the ends of the slots to lock the member 64 against operation, but when the proper movement is applied to the element 33, the roller 66 will be unseated by the cam surfaces until the member 64 has advanced one step of rotation, at which time the roller will enter the end of the next succeeding slot.

While the preferred forms of the invention have been herein shown and described, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, within the scope of the claims, without departing from the spirit of this invention.

What is claimed as new is 1. Coin controlled mechanism embodying a shaft, a member connected with the shaft for movement therewith, a plurality of coin holders formed on said member, a second member mounted for free movement with respect to the first said member and said shaft, spaced means on the said second member for engaging a coin in said holders and between which means the coin stands when in said holder for operatively connecting said members, an operating handle connected with said second member, a driven shaft, and an operative connection between the first recited member and the said driven shaft, said 1 connection embodying means constituting a which means the coin stands when in said U holder for operatively connecting said members, an operating handle connected with said second member, a driven shaft, and an operative connection between the first recited member and the said driven shaft, said connection embodying-a pair of co-operating members, a plurality of laterally projecting formations on-one of said co-operating members and a plurality of slots in the other of the said co-operating members, the last said formations and'said slots being so arranged with respect to each other that each of the formations will engage in one of the slots, and two of said formations will simultaneously engage in the respective slots to constitute a lock between the first recited member and the said driven shaft.

3. Coin controlled mechanism embodying a shaft, a member fixed to the shaft, a second member mounted for free movement with respect to the first said member and said shaft, co-operating means on said members constituting a coin holder whereby said members will be locked for simultaneous operation by the coin, an operating handle con- .Li

nected with said second member, a driven shaft, and an operative connection between the said second member and said driven shaft and embodying two co-operating connecting members, a plurality of projecting lit) -nected with said second member, a driven shaft, an operative connection between the said second member and said driven shaft and embodying two co-operating connecting members, a plurality of projecting formations on one and a plurality of slots in the other of the said connecting members, the said formations and said slots being so arranged with respect to each other that each of the said formations will engage in one of the slots as the mechanism is actuated and two of said formations will simultaneously engage in the respective slots to constitute a lock between the first recited memberrand the said driven shaft, and additional means for yieldingly locking against operationone of the said connecting members.

5. Coin controlled mechanism embodying a shaft, a member fixed'to the shaft, a second member mounted for free movement with respect to the shaft and to the first said member, an operating handle connected with the said free member, means whereby a coin may be inserted between said members for locking them for operation together, means tending normally to move the free member in one direction, means for locking the second recited member with respect to the said shaft, a pawl and ratchet disc for locking the first said member against retrograde movement, and extended spaces between certain of the teeth'of said ratchet disc and into which spaces the said pawl engages to produce a limited degree of lost motion between the pawl and ratchet disc at predetermined times in the cycle of operation of the mechanism.

6. Coin controlled mechanism embodying a shaft, a member fixed to the shaft, a second member mounted for free movement with respect to the shaft and to the first said member, an operating handle connected with the said free member, means whereby a coin may be inserted between said members for locking them for operation together, means tending normally to move the free member in one direction, a pawl and ratchet disc for locking the first said member against retrograde movement, extended spaces be? tween certain of the teeth of said ratchet disc and into which spaces the said pawl engages to produce a limited degree of lost motion between the pawl and ratchet disc at predetermined times in the cycle of operation of the mechanism, and additional means for arresting and yieldingly locking the said fixed member in predetermined positions, the last recited means being rendered inactive in response to the movement of the said fixed member.

7. Actuating mechanism for article vending machines embodying a checkcarrier having a check pocket or seat, a delivery chute with which said seat is adapted to be positioned to receive the check therefrom, means for actuating the check carrier, said check carrier embodying a member having aconstant direction of rotation, a ratchet disc carried with said member, and a pawl cooperating with said ratchet disc to prevent retrograde movement of the said member, there being missing tooth spaces in said ratchet disc to provide a small degree of lost motion between the pawl andratchet.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification on this 4th day of February, A. D. 1928.

' GEORGE WEISS; 

